


Empty Spaces

by scapeartist



Series: 15-Minute Masterpieces [11]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Cobra Swan, Gen, Swan Believer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 07:50:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7093162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scapeartist/pseuds/scapeartist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The prompt for this story was "Henry Mills" and "Wistful". Henry searches for Killian at the docks of the underworld and finds even less than he'd hoped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Empty Spaces

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wtvoc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wtvoc/gifts).



> Each one-shot in this series is part of a writing prompt exercise. I was having some trouble getting into the writing groove again and asked for a word and a character, and from there I would spend at least 15 minutes writing, I would not heavily edit, nor would I use a beta. This was purely me needing to get my brain moving. The "Masterpiece" part is tongue-in-cheek (even if most of these are not bad at all).

Henry was standing down by the docks when Emma found him. They’d split up to cover more ground in their search for Killian, and Henry volunteered to scout out the waterfront. He had his bag slung over one shoulder and he was looking out at the bay, the red tinge to the Underworld making the water an unappealing brownish-purple. Emma was momentarily struck, as she was frequently nowadays, how grown up Henry was becoming. Another month or two and he was going to be taller than her.

She walked over and put her hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly, eyes widening at the contact, but then relaxed when he saw Emma and turned back to watch the horizon.

“Hey, kid, what’d you find?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.”

His look of dejection broke her heart.

“So why are you still hanging out here?” she asked, her voice gentle.

Henry looked down at the ground and pushed at a pile of loose rocks with his sneaker. He shrugged.

Emma put her arm around him and pulled him close. “What is it?”

“I thought for sure the _Jolly Roger_ would be here with him. But she’s not. I wanted to find her. To give you hope.”

Henry stared intently at the dock before them as if he could will the ship to appear with Hook at the helm. He sighed and frowned.

“What if it means he’s not here?” Henry asked, not meeting Emma’s eyes. “A pirate needs his ship, and she’s not here.”

Emma dropped her arm from around Henry and grasped the ring on the chain around her neck. She’d thought the same thing before he’d said it, but pushed it aside, unable to contemplate this separation of captain from his boat—ship. Hook, and no doubt Henry, would have corrected her. Emma closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the limp waves bumping against the few boats that were moored nearby. Killian wasn’t there, specifically, but she had to believe he was somewhere close.

She bumped her shoulder to Henry’s and smiled, needing to change the tone if not the topic. “‘She,’ huh?”

Henry looked over and grinned. “Well, yeah. Have you ever listened to Hook talk about her? Pretty sure if she were an actual woman, she’d give you a run for your money.”

“Oh, really?” Emma raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “Well _I’m_ pretty sure he would have left her at the altar and run off with _me_.”

“Probably,” Henry agreed with a laugh.   

“Admit it, you were hoping he’d let you sail it.”

“He did say next time I—” Henry paused and closed his mouth tight. He blinked and tilted his head before continuing. “He said next time I could take the helm. I’ve gotten pretty good. He was… _is_ … a great teacher.”

Emma linked her arm through Henry’s and rested her head against his.

“I’m going to believe Killian’s ship not being here is a good thing, Henry. Maybe it’s— _she’s_ —waiting for him to come home. Maybe she knows something we don’t.”

Henry looked at her skeptically. “Mom. I agree she’s pretty special, but I don’t think she…thinks.”

Emma shrugged. “She’s enchanted. You never know.”  

Henry looked surprised and glanced at Emma. “We probably could have used her, you know, to get out of here.”

Emma hadn’t thought of that. Maybe Henry was right. Maybe the _Jolly Roger_ would have been useful. _Shit_. Wouldn’t be the first time she thought she was stranded somewhere. She hadn’t gotten stuck yet. Of course those other places only felt like hell, this time it actually was.

Getting out was never going to be easy.  She knew that. “I’m sure we will find another way,” she said, trying to sound more confident than wary.

“It won’t be as much fun though.”

“Nope, probably not.”

Henry straightened up, adjusting his bag more securely over his shoulder. He nodded toward town. “We should probably get back to everyone. Maybe someone else found him.”

“I sure hope so kid.”


End file.
